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In 2003 the King ruled according to unwritten law and custom, in conjunction with a partially elected parliament and an accompanying structure of published laws and implementing agencies. The 2001 (sic) municipal elections and parliamentary elections during the year increased representative government; however, political power continued to rest largely with the King and his circle of traditional advisors, including the Queen Mother. The judiciary was generally independent; however, the King exerted certain judicial powers, and High Court judges struggled to resist pressure to yield any powers to those outside the judiciary.
Both the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force and the Royal Swaziland Police operate under civilian control and are responsible for external and internal security. Some communities questioned the ability of the National Police to operate effectively at the community level and have formed community police.
Members of both the National Police and the community police committed human rights abuses.
The country had a free market economy, with relatively little government intervention; its population was approximately 1.1 million. The majority of citizens were engaged in subsistence agriculture and the informal marketing of agricultural goods, although a relatively diversified industrial sector accounted for the largest component of the formal economy. The country depended heavily on South Africa, from which it received almost all of its imports and to which it sent the majority of its exports. A quasi-parastatal organisation established by royal charter, and responsible to the King, maintained large investments in major sectors of the economy, including industry, agriculture, and services, and required partnership with foreign investors and international development agencies.
The Government’s human rights record was poor, and it continued to commit serious abuses. Citizens were not able to change their government peacefully. Police used excessive force on some occasions, and there were reports that police tortured and beat some suspects. Impunity was a problem.
The Government infringed on citizen’s privacy rights. The Government continued to limit freedom of speech and of the press.
The Government restricted freedom of assembly and association and prohibited political activity, although numerous political groupings operated openly and voiced opinions critical of the Government. The police on several occasions harassed political activists.
There were some limits on freedom of movement.
Legal and cultural discrimination, violence against women, and abuse of children remained problems. Some societal discrimination against mixed race and white citizens persisted. Worker rights remained limited. Trafficking in persons occurred.

RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From:
a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life
There were no reports of the arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of life by the Government or its agents.
There were no developments in the 2001 police killing of a 20-year-old man,or the 2001 death by poisoning in police custody of two 20-year-olds.
b. Disappearance
There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances.
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
The law does not specifically prohibit such practices, although under the Prison’s Act correctional facility officers may be prosecuted if they engage in such practices; however, there were reports that government officials employed them. There were credible reports by criminal defendants that the security forces used torture during interrogation and abused their authority by assaulting citizens and using excessive force in carrying out their duties. For example, in August, police reportedly beat a member of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) following his arrest during a legal protest action.
Police sometimes beat criminal suspects and occasionally used the “tube”style of interrogation, in which police suffocate suspects through the use of a rubber tube around the face and mouth. According to unofficial reports, police still used the Kentucky method of interrogation in which the arms and legs of suspects are bent and tied together with rope or chain, then the person is beaten.
There was no action taken against members of the security forces responsible for the 2002 beating of a woman accused of theft.
Police also banned and forcibly dispersed demonstrations (see Section 2.b.).
Prison conditions generally met international standards; however, there were reports that torture, lack of basic hygiene, and unsafe sexual practices were spreading HIV/AIDS among the prisoners. Government detention centres remained overcrowded, and conditions were generally poor. The use of non-bailable provisions resulted in the continued overcrowding and other unfavourable conditions in government detention centres where suspects were held during pre-trial detention (see Section 1.d.).
Women were held in separate prison facilities; however, at times children (age 3 and under) of female inmates lived with their mothers in the women’s prison. A November press report alleged that male guards forced female prisoners into sex.
The Government routinely permitted prison visits by diplomats, journalists, human rights monitors, and representatives of international organizations. During the year, the local Red Cross visited several prisons.